Green School Year in Review 2015-16

Year in Review 2015

Author and scholar Reza Aslan was a highlight of the 2015 Broad Distinguished Lecture Series.

Just, Peaceful and Prosperous Creating a

World

Ambassador Steven J. Green, his wife Dorothea Green and daughter Kimberly Green made a transformative gift of $20 million to the School of International and Public Affairs in 2015.

A Year of Transformation

E

vents from around the world made headlines – and history – in 2015. Unfathomable terrorist attacks and dramatic stories of refugees seeking a new life dominated the news. At the same time, the world witnessed unprecedented shifts in global relationships, including restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba and the signing of historic agreements on climate change and nuclear arms.

At FIU, it was also a year of transformation. A historic $20 million gift from Ambassador Steven J. Green, his wife Dorothea Green, daughter Kimberly Green and the Green Family Foundation has already begun to propel the university forward as one of the world’s top academic centers dedicated to international understanding.

John F. Stack, Jr., Founding Dean Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

The Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs has used part of this generous gift to establish an endowment to support academic research and public affairs initiatives focused on transnational studies, international institutions and security policy in the Americas.

The gift will also support the construction of a state-of-the-art building that will help unify all of the school’s resources into a single location, fostering collaboration, interdisciplinary innovation and student success by providing space for cutting-edge research, diplomatic meetings, international gatherings and more.

FIU also has renamed its Latin American and Caribbean Center to the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center and established the Kimberly Green Scholarship and Dorothea Green Lecture Series Fund. Kimberly Green, an accomplished philanthropist, writer and documentary filmmaker, holds a Doctor Honoris Causa from FIU and currently serves as the president of the Green Family Foundation.

During his term as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore from 1997-2001, Steven J. Green spearheaded strategic programs that enhanced U.S.-Singapore alliances in economic development, intellectual property, immigration and national security.

Now, through his generosity, the Green School will continue to solidify FIU’s destiny as a preeminent center for international education and global problem solving.

As one of the largest schools of its kind in the world, the Green School fosters scholarship that seeks to understand the world we live in and the challenges we face collectively as one human family.

Through innovative teaching, research and outreach – as well as events, lectures, concerts and art exhibits – the Green School brings this understanding to its students, faculty and the community.

As catalyst donors for nearly 25 years, the Green family has helped shape the university’s destiny. We are so honored that their generosity, passion and leadership will further our mission to “create a just, peaceful and prosperous world.”

Václav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy

The Politics of Human Rights

N

amed for the leader of the Velvet Revolution, which ended Communist rule in Czechoslovakia, the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy at FIU works to foster partnerships and promote global dialogue in the areas of human rights, democratization and diplomacy.

Lectures by visiting scholars, global leaders and human rights advocates bring to light new perspectives on the process of democratization and the experiences of societies in transition around the world.

The historic shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba provided the backdrop for several major milestones for the program in 2015.

Martin Palous, former U.N. ambassador for Czechoslovakia and director of the program, traveled to Berlin to help organize a two-day conference on the future of Cuba. He was joined

by John F. Stack, Jr., founding dean of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, along with Cuban dissidents and leaders of the European Union.

The conference – titled “Quo Vadis Cuba?”

(Where’s Cuba going?) – was a collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and explored the relationship between the EU, the U.S. and Cuba, focusing on creating an environment of open dialogue and communication.

“Under the direction of Ambassador Palous, the Green School’s Václav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy aims to be not only a center of academic excellence, but to contribute substantively and constructively to the political debates taking place in the real world,” Stack said.

2

The Knight Foundation joined FIU to sponsor another initiative focused on Cuba – “Preparing Miami for Democratic Transition in Cuba.”

Designed to inspire the South Florida community to play a supportive role in a changing Cuba, the initiative engaged stakeholders in the Cuba debate in an ongoing dialogue with experts and participants in the process of democratic transition.

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

By fostering this kind of open discussion on critical issues related to democratization around the world, the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights & Diplomacy will continue to shine a light on the need for greater global exchange and international collaboration.

In November 2015, the Václav Havel Program collaborated with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to present a conference in Berlin on the future of Cuba, Quo Vadis Cuba?

One event, “Cuba and the World in 2015: Between the Past and the Future,” brought together four distinguished scholars to explore how the shift in U.S. policy might impact human rights and the process of democratization on the island.

FIU also partnered with the Florida Grand Opera to host “In Endless Waiting Rooms,” which

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

highlighted Gian Carlo Menotti’s celebrated work The Consul, alongside speakers reflecting on the struggles faced by individuals fleeing violence, repression or poverty.

In recognition of the 26th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, Ambassador Michal Žantovský shared his views on “Central Europe’s Lessons for Modern Cuba.’’

3

Master of Arts in Global Affairs

Preparing Global Leaders of Tomorrow

provides students with practical skills to tackle some of the world’s most challenging concerns.

A track in Globalization and Security prepares students to address issues like transnational crime, cybersecurity, international human rights violations, surveillance and intelligence. The Corporate Citizenship track trains a new cadre of managers who understand the needs of global business and society.

L

ess than a month after arriving in New York to begin an internship at the United Nations, FIU alumna Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua received an opportunity to do what few other interns have.

Students also gain hands-on experience in policy with agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Defense Intelligence Agency and United States Department of Agriculture.

Not only did she meet U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, she was invited by him to deliver a speech on behalf of her fellow interns on the floor of the General Assembly.

Internships like Chikoti-Bandua’s open the door to exceptional career opportunities.

For Chikoti-Bandua, who graduated from FIU’s Master of Arts in Global Affairs program (MAGA), it was a first step toward what she hopes will be a lifetime career advocating for human rights.

Chikoti-Bandua, who was born a refugee, is now working at the U.N. as a human rights diplomat for her home country of Angola. She hopes her experience will lay the foundation for a career advocating for those who face challenges similar to hers.

Through the MAGA program, students like Chikoti-Bandua learn to work in a globalized world, utilizing essential critical thinking and negotiating skills that translate across societies and borders. Unlike traditional graduate programs in international affairs, the MAGA Program

“I would like to serve those who suffer to have a place in society - refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers,” she said. “I want to be a voice for those who are voiceless.”

Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua

4

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

FIU Model UN

In 2015, FIU’s Model UN traveled to eight competitions, placing in the top five almost every time. At the University of North Carolina Model United Nations Conference, they were named the Outstanding Large Delegation. They finished in the top four overall at the University of Pennsylvania Model United Nations Conference and defended their Outstanding Large Delegation award at the Harvard National Model United Nations.

FIU’s Model UN team traveled to eight competitions in 2015, including this one at Columbia University in New York.

F

IU’s Model United Nations Program has quietly grown into one of the most successful collegiate programs of its kind in the world.

The team is ranked fourth in North America behind only the University of Chicago, Georgetown University and Harvard University. It is the highest ranked team in Florida and the highest ranked team from a public university.

An interactive political science course, Model UN provides a unique and challenging environment to expose students to diplomacy, negotiation and international relations. Delegates gain valuable experience in public speaking and debate, as well as research, critical thinking, teamwork and leadership.

“This past year was a great success,’’ said Ethan Roberts, director of the FIU Model UN team. “We placed second at the Harvard National Model United Nations, the most competitive conference in the collegiate circuit. Even better, we were able to expand our membership and take on a record number of freshmen.”

“We are delighted to have our Model UN team move up again in this year’s college rankings,” added John F. Stack, Jr., founding dean of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. “It’s a testament to the team’s hard work and commitment to competing against the country’s best.”

“We placed second at the Harvard National Model United Nations, the most competitive conference in the collegiate circuit.”

– Ethan Roberts Director, FIU Model UN team

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

5

Jain Studies Program

Pursuing a Spiritual Path to Peace

D

uring a religious studies course at FIU, Alexander McCarty was inspired to learn more about Jainism and its commitment to nonviolence.

He was so inspired, he decided to spend four weeks studying Jainism in India with the Jain Studies Program at FIU. McCarty, a religious studies major, traveled to the Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute in Rajasthan, where he and his family learned more about the spiritual and cultural life of India.

“I found a spiritual connection,’’ he said of the Jains’ commitment to nonviolence.

FIU’s Jain Studies Program is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. It includes courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, infusing Jain perspectives into the classroom in a wide variety of disciplines, study abroad programs to India, lectures and symposia.

In 2015, the program hosted the Fifth Annual Bhagwan Mahavir Jayanti Lecture with Jayandra Soni, lecturer of Indian philosophy at Innsbruck University in Austria. Soni discussed the Jain path of purification, as well as Jains’ moral conduct as a key to spiritual salvation. Additionally, the program held the 2015 Bhagwan Mahavir Nirvan Lecture with Tara Sethia, a professor of history and the founder and director of the Ahimsa Center at California State Polytechnic University.

In her presentation, she demonstrated the need for educating people about nonviolence and nonviolent social change.

Blessed by Acharya Mahapragya, one of the 20th century’s most eminent Jain leaders, and by the Dalai Lama, the Bhagwan Mahavir Professorship in Jain Studies at FIU is the first of its kind in the western world. The Jain Education and Research Foundation partnered with the university to create an endowment of nearly $1 million to fund the professorship. The gift includes $250,000, donated

by Latika and Rajiv Jain, to support graduate student fellowships.

The professorship supports two Samanis - Jain nuns - to teach courses that apply Jain ethics and principles to contemporary issues, as well as to lead extracurricular activities that teach students about Preksha meditation, vegetarianism and peace studies.

The teaching endowment is part of a larger initiative by the Jain community to establish an academic education center for Jain studies and research at FIU. The proposed center would offer courses in Jainism, provide research opportunities and collaborate with universities throughout the world.

Today, Jainism is a small but influential religious minority with approximately 4.5 million followers in India and growing immigrant communities in

Jain Studies students from FIU traveled to the Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute in Rajasthan, India.

6

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

“The Jain Studies Program has already exceeded initial expectations, both of the university and of the Jain community”.

– Steven Vose Director, Jain Studies Program

North America, Europe, the Far East, Australia, East Africa and elsewhere. For the past five years, FIU has exchanged students and lecturers with the International School for Jain Studies and the Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute in India.

“The Jain Studies Program has already exceeded initial expectations, both of the university and of

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

the Jain community,” said Steven Vose, director of the program. “As we move forward to create a Center for Jain Studies, I envision adding a postdoctoral fellowship to support the many new doctoral candidates who will be finishing their theses in the next few years, in order to make scholars of Jainism more competitive in the academic job market.”

Students in the Jain Studies study abroad program visited this Jain temple in northern India.

7

Global Jewish Studies Program

Exploring the Diversity of the Jewish Experience

The program’s signature research efforts also include Holocaust Studies, Muslim-Jewish Relations, Latin American Jewry and SephardiMizrahi Studies.

Throughout the year, Global Jewish Studies sponsors lectures and seminars, musical and theatrical performances and films, featuring some of the leading thinkers and artists in the Jewish world.

T

hroughout history, vibrant Jewish communities with far-reaching family, commercial and cultural ties have flourished throughout much of the world. For more than two thousand years, Jews have been building communities throughout the world with global Jewish connections.

The Global Jewish Studies Program at FIU seeks to educate university students and the general South Florida community about this diversity of Jewish history, culture, religion, literature, political science and international relations, including the extraordinary and unparalleled reach of Jewish communities throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Current research puts a spotlight on some of the most remote, fringe and marginal emerging Jewish communities. A cluster of scholars at FIU pursue the study of Asian, Middle Eastern and African Jewish communities, as well as CryptoJews of Sephardi origin and Jews throughout the Americas.

In 2015, one of the program’s newer initiatives showcased the remarkable diversity in the field of Jewish Studies.

“Mondays at the Museum - Jewish Studies Colloquium” is a collaboration with the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU that features talks by leading scholars on topics as diverse as the Jewish experience in China and Japan, the secret Jews of Iberia and the “neglected women” of the 19th century Hebrew Revival.

Genie Milgrom, president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Miami, gave a provocative talk on how to prove Jewish ancestry using Catholic and Spanish Inquisition sources.

Milgrom, born in Havana into a Roman Catholic family, documented her own Jewish lineage going back as far as 1480.

In another captivating presentation, Ronnie Perelis, chief rabbi and professor at Yeshiva University, discussed the mystical search of Mexican Crypto-Jew Luis de Carvajal, who traveled to the Americas in search of riches only to discover the power of his Jewish heritage.

The Jewish community of South Florida is a living laboratory for rigorous academic pursuit, providing unique insight into the globalization of the Jewish community. These global Jewish networks throughout the centuries have been key factors in sustaining the Jewish people in the face of devastating religious persecution, oppression and intolerance.

FIU’s Global Jewish Studies Program will continue to promote innovative research and education about the diverse Jewish communities throughout the world and the significant contributions they have made to history, culture and society.

Tudor Parfitt, director of the Global Jewish Studies Program, researched the Judaizing movement in Papua New Guinea.

8

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Detail of the east wall of the El Transito Synagogue in Toledo, Spain. Photo by Roy Lindman.

Studying the Secret Jews Since 2009, FIU has published a scholarly, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research on “secret Jews” – individuals who maintained hidden Jewish identities in countries whose Jewish communities were largely destroyed during the Inquisition.

The Journal of Spanish, Portuguese and Italian Crypto Jews was founded by Abraham D. Lavender, a professor of sociology at FIU who specializes in world Jewish communities and Sephardic studies. The journal’s goal is to encourage and publicize scholarly research on crypto Jews and their many descendants around the world.

With more than 1,000 pages of scholarly information published so far, the journal has produced a sizable collection of crypto-Jewish information, including maps, photographs and commentary by leading scholars.

In addition to peer-reviewed articles, the journal publishes book reviews, research reports and other academic literature.

It can be found online at www.cryptojewsjournal.org.

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

9

Muslim World Studies Initiative

Breaking Down Stereotypes, Promoting Dialogue

F

ormally launched in 2015 at the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations’ community appreciation dinner, FIU’s initiative to create a Center for Muslim World Studies has already reached several significant milestones.

The initiative, which would establish an academic center dedicated to the study of the diversity of the Muslim world and relations between Islamic societies and the West, has gained considerable support among the university community, as well as many of the area’s most prominent Muslim leaders.

In fact, the initiative is a direct response to requests from the local Muslim community for FIU to take the lead in establishing such a center.

One of the highlights of the initiative that seeks to break down stereotypes is a robust speaker series, which brought top scholars from around the world to FIU in 2015 to speak about a variety of themes related to the Muslim world, including Africa, China and the Middle East.

Internationally renowned author and scholar Reza Aslan, whose visit packed the Green School’s Broad Auditorium with more than 500 attendees, spoke on his book Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Extremism in the Age of Globalization. The talk was sponsored by the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series.

At a time when religion and politics are inextricably linked, Aslan argued that the United States must deny religious extremists their “good versus evil” narrative and address the real grievances that lie at the root of conflicts in the Muslim world and beyond.

“How do you win a religious war?” he asks.

“By refusing to fight in one.’’

Carving out a unique position among Muslim Studies centers around the country and the world, FIU’s Center for Muslim World Studies will highlight interconnections between Islam and globalization and the significant contributions of Islamic civilization to world history and culture.

The first donor to the initiative, Abraham D. Lavender, is a professor of sociology at FIU and a Sephardic Jew. His hope is that the center will become a place that promotes dialogue between different faiths.

Young women study in Indonesia.

“My ancestors lived in peace with Muslims years ago in Spain,’’ he said. “We need a lot more talking between groups. It helps us understand and decrease stereotypes.

People tend to generalize based on a small group.’’

– Abraham D. Lavender, professor of sociology at FIU

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

11

Middle East Studies Program

Providing Context and Understanding Interior of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali in Cairo, Egypt.

T

he birthplace of some of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Middle East to some observers has become synonymous with conflict and extremism. Faced with instability brought on by waves of political, social and demographic changes, the region has been ravaged by sectarian and civil wars and humanitarian crises for decades.

Helping students understand the dynamics shaping the Middle East – and their implications for the rest of the world – is one of the primary goals of FIU’s Middle East Studies Program, which defines the region broadly, to encompass the study of adjacent regions including Central Asia and North Africa.

The program provides a rich multidisciplinary learning experience that spans from international relations, history, geography and political science to religious studies, sociology, anthropology and modern languages. The program also encourages “inter-regional studies,” focusing on historical and contemporary linkages between the Middle East and other regions, including Latin America and Europe.

12

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

In 2015, with world attention focused on major developments like the rise of the Islamic State and the Syrian refugee crisis, the Middle East Studies Program hosted top scholars to provide context and clarity on these and other complex issues.

“The Syrian Crisis in Focus” pulled together FIU faculty experts, including Middle East Studies Program Director Mohiaddin Mesbahi, to explore the origins of the conflict, its impact on the Syrian people and the broader impacts of the crisis on the world.

Mohsen Milani, whose book, The Making of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, has become required reading at universities worldwide, presented a lecture on “Iran and the Rise of the Islamic State.” Houman Sadri, an expert on revolutionary states and terrorist groups, discussed “The Caucasus Region and the Clash of Civilization Idea.”

With a scope that is broad and comprehensive, the Middle East Studies Program provides students with knowledge and understanding of one of the most significant and consequential regions shaping contemporary world politics today.

African and African Diaspora Studies Program

The Global Span of African Heritage

C

ontinental Africa is among the regions of the world where some of the highest levels of economic growth can be observed. More and more, the region is flourishing with innovations in the fields of fashion, popular culture, modern art, architecture and education, all of which have current and potential impacts on U.S. society.

In 2015, under the directorship of Jean Muteba Rahier, a member of the African diaspora himself, the program implemented two new levels of African language courses: Swahili and Wolof, taught by instructors Zablon Mgonja and Samba Camara. The language instructor positions are funded by the U.S. Department of Education, which awarded FIU a $187,000 Title VI-Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages grant, titled Expanding and Developing African Studies at FIU.

FIU’s African and African Diaspora Studies Program seeks to foster a greater understanding of the experiences of peoples of African descent, while being committed to the study, research, interpretation and dissemination of knowledge concerning individuals and communities of continental Africa and of the global African diaspora.

The program features a robust curriculum, cutting-edge research, outreach events and lifechanging study abroad programs in Senegal and The Gambia and Zanzibar-Tanzania. Through its comparative, transnational and interdisciplinary curriculum and research agendas, AADS is one of the leading programs in the United States for the study of Africana experiences.

The center features a wide array of academic programs, including undergraduate and graduate courses, certificates and a master’s program.

Samba Camara

Zablon Mgonja

“The past and present realities of these communities must be taught and reflected upon if we are to include everyone equally in the teaching and research mission of our institution and if we are to eventually provide durable and sustainable solutions to problems and challenges,” said Rahier. “Our mission is to educate on Africa and the communities of the African diaspora globally [and] our teaching and research should contribute to the eradication of the many stereotypes about Africa, Africans and black people in general.”

– Jean Muteba Rahier Director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Program 14

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Also under Rahier’s leadership, FIU entered into a collaborative agreement with the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar in Ecuador to develop joint programs in African diaspora studies and Latin American cultural studies. For the past three years, in collaboration with the School of Environment, Arts and Society, the Metropolitan Center, the Division of Research and the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, the program has hosted 25 African scholars as part of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative to empower young

leaders through academic coursework, mentoring and networking.

The program’s location in Miami, one of the major crossings of global African and African diasporic movements, provides a unique environment for research and diversity. The affiliated faculty, like the student body, are drawn from around the world and allow for challenging and stimulating conversations about the importance of Africa as a major player in this age of global interdependence.

The historic Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves), a museum and memorial of the Atlantic slave trade, visited by FIU African Studies students.

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

15

Asian Studies Program

Fostering Critical Inquiry

W

hen FIU alumnus Omar Carrion was tragically killed by a drunk driver in a car accident in March 2013, his parents, Fernando and Hilda Carrion, wanted to do something to honor his memory. They decided the best way to remember Omar, who graduated from FIU’s Asian Studies Program in 2007, was to make a gift to the program that helped him find – and pursue his passion.

As the world becomes increasingly global and barriers of communication and distance are broken down, people are faced with different cultures, languages and values.

FIU’s Asian Studies Program equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to remain competitive in today’s international environment.

The program is a robust contribution to FIU’s international offerings that boasts undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary degrees, establishes study abroad and internship opportunities and enables foreign language studies, as well as hosts numerous conferences, workshops and community events.

Students develop behavioral and cultural sensitivity and knowledge, acquire language skills and foster awareness of current affairs in Asia, as well as have access to internship opportunities and study abroad and semester exchange programs to places like China, Japan and India.

In 2015, the program held the Southern Japan Seminar, a conference in which speakers and guests met to discuss Japan-related topics like Confucianism in East Asia; religion in Korea; and Japanese literary modernism.

The meeting promotes the research and educational activities of Japan-related scholars and fosters critical inquiry, multidisciplinary discussions and dissemination of theoretical and practical knowledge.

During his time at FIU, Omar developed a love for Japan. He traveled to Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto as part of the Asian Studies study abroad program. After graduation, he returned to Japan to teach English to children.

Shortly after his death, his parents gave the Green School $52,000 to establish the Omar K. Carrion Scholarship for top scholars in Asian studies. It was awarded for the first time in September 2015 to Geri (Gigi) Ross, who graduated with a degree in Japanese Area Studies.

16

The Asian Studies Program at FIU currently serves over 150 undergraduate, about two dozen graduate and 200 students seeking certificates, who study a wide range of topics from ancient art and history to contemporary social and environmental concerns.

“The Asia-Pacific region, with its rich language and traditional cultural resources, is at the forefront of worldwide economic and security issues, and this is reflected by the continuing growth of student interest.’’

– Steven Heine Director of Asian Studies

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Interdisciplinary Studies of Modern Japan To support critical inquiry and multidisciplinary research into Japanese

studies, FIU’s Asian Studies Program collaborates with the Southern

Japan Seminar to produce an annual peer-reviewed journal of scholarly work in the field.

As a publication which addresses a variety of cross-disciplinary issues,

the Japan Studies Review includes

contributions on both practical and theoretical topics, such as business

and economics, politics, education, philosophy, gender issues, popular culture and immigration.

In addition to scholarly research,

the journal publishes book reviews, essays, translations and other

material. Submissions come from a

diverse group of scholars, including internationally known experts in Japanese literature, linguistics, comics and more. Contributors include FIU faculty, as well as

scholars from Kyoto, Okinawa and Hyogo, Japan.

The Southern Japan Seminar

sponsors conferences and promotes the research of Japan-related scholars in the Southeastern

United States. It includes member universities from around the U.S.

and is housed in the Asian Studies Program at FIU.

The Zen Buddhist temple Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

17

European and Eurasian Studies Program

Exploring a Deep Knowledge of History and Place

F

IU’s European and Eurasian Studies Program will serve as a clearinghouse for research and teaching on the European Union after it received two grants from the European Commission in 2015.

The award allowed the Green School to establish the Miami-Florida Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, supported by a three-year, 100,000euro grant from the European Commission – making the school a focal point of competence and knowledge on issues and subjects related to

the European Union. The second grant funds the Jean Monnet Project, under which the European and Eurasian Studies Program organized six, highprofile business panels, stimulating discussions and highlighting European approaches to entrepreneurship and technological innovation.

Through the Miami-Florida Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, the European and Eurasian Studies Program creates synergies with existing programs and expertise around FIU and South Florida. The program fosters and supports undergraduate and graduate education, with a focus on Europe, and offers specific expertise on the relations between Europe, Miami and Latin America.

“There are only eight Jean Monnet Centers of Excellence in the U.S., so the Green School receiving this grant is a major honor,” said Markus Thiel, director of the European and Eurasian Studies Program. “This will provide opportunities for FIU students and professors, as well as South Florida citizens, to engage with the European Union, its institutions and policies through academic research, teaching and civic outreach activities.”

The European and Eurasian Studies Program also hosts the Blanka Rosenstiel Lecture Series on Poland, supported by Warsaw-born philanthropist Lady Blanka Rosenstiel and the American Institute of Polish Culture. In 2015, the series included a film screening and discussion on “Kosciuszko: A Man Before His Time,’’ featuring Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Alex Storozynski.

An endowed Center for European and Eurasian Studies will enable the Green School to expand and permanently support the interdisciplinary work already underway in these fields of study.

To achieve this, the Green School is building strategic partnerships with a variety of private and public organizations, as well as individuals. The center would allow the Green School to foster connections across borders and reinforce FIU as a facilitator of global research in the social sciences and humanities.

Students in the Multilevel Governance in Europe study abroad program.

18

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

The vision of the Green School is to establish an endowed interdisciplinary Center for European and Eurasian Studies. The center would promote teaching, research, professional training and community outreach, as well as provide students and scholars with a deep regional knowledge of place, history, geography, economics, politics, languages and cultures.

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

19

Spanish and Mediterranean Studies Program

Honoring Five Centuries of Cultural Influence

During her time as Consul General, Barrios was a strong supporter of the Green School’s efforts to establish a Center for Spanish and Mediterranean Studies, an important vision that will explore and highlight the Spanish heritage of the United States, the impact of Hispanics in our society today and the ongoing ties between Spain and the Americas.

T

oday, the United States is rediscovering its Hispanic past, while also experiencing an unprecedented growth in Hispanic political, cultural and economic clout.

“This center will serve as an anchor for the study, understanding and celebration of the Spanish heritage of Florida and the United States,” Barrios said.

FIU’s location in Miami offers unique opportunities to increase the strength, visibility and significance of Spanish culture and heritage in a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution.

The named series has hosted various speakers, including renowned visual artist Rufina Santana. In

The Spanish and Mediterranean Studies Program at FIU honors five centuries of Spanish cultural influence in the United States and the Americas, all while educating students and the community about the history, culture, politics, economics and international relations of Spain and the broader Mediterranean.

The program highlights the connections of Spain and the Mediterranean to Miami, Latin America and the Caribbean through intellectual engagement of academics, artists, policymakers and business leaders.

In June 2015, the Steven J. Green School of International Relations and Public Affairs joined with TotalBank and the Consulate General of Spain to celebrate the launch of the TotalBank Distinguished Speaker Series in Spanish and Mediterranean Studies. TotalBank presented the first of three installments of a $75,000 gift to support the program.

The late Ambassador Cristina Barrios, who was Spain’s Consul General in Miami until she retired in 2015, congratulated TotalBank for its leadership role in supporting the initiative.

“Voyage of the Hero” by artist Rufina Santana Acrylic on wood, 79 X 197 inches, 2015

20

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

her presentation, Santana explored the artistic effort to historicize the seas as spaces of human interaction, self-recognition and reinvention.

The artist discussed her work and exhibition, Cartographies of Water, and focused on seas as connectors, bridging civilizations and peoples and offering the opportunity to examine identity, hybridity and memory from a new perspective.

“Miami is a point of special entrance for all types of international influences to the United States,” she said. “Symbolically, it is also a point of special entrance of influence from the Old World to the New World. My art is very much influenced by the Mediterranean and Old World mythology and traditions.”

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

Aurora Morcillo, director of the Spanish and Mediterranean Studies Program, also spoke at the event. While Santana focused on the artistic aspect of the sea, Morcillo explored the ocean as a fluid medium for encountering another – rather than as a geographical feature of a planet.

“The special relationship between Spain and Florida continues to be a source of pride and strength for our two regions,” said Morcillo.

“This initiative was conceived to reimagine the space between us as one of continuity rather than disconnect — Spain and the Mediterranean are one with Latin America and the Caribbean, inhabiting different coasts but sharing one ocean.”

“Miami is a point of special entrance for all types of international influences to the United States. Symbolically, it is also a point of special entrance of influence from the Old World to the New World.

– Rufina Santana

21

Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center

Forging Connections across the Americas

Closer to home, Green and her family donated $2.5 million to FIU’s Latin American and Caribbean Center, part of a larger $20 million gift to the Green School in 2015.

Recognized as a national resource center on Latin America by the U.S. Department of Education, LACC has forged linkages across the Americas through research, education and outreach for 37 years.

W

hen asked about her extensive philanthropic work, Kimberly Green points to a quotation by Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca: “He who gives when he is asked has waited too long.’’

Green lives those words everyday through her work as president of the Green Family Foundation, helping fund HIV clinics in Liberty City, computerliteracy labs in Little Haiti and early childhood programs for low-income families throughout Miami.

The daughter of Ambassador Steven J. Green and Dorothea Green, Kimberly Green is also an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker.

She directed and produced the film, “Once There Was a Country: Revisiting Haiti,” narrated by Maya Angelou and Guy Johnson and examining causes of the healthcare crisis in Haiti.

The renamed Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center continues that mission to deliver high-quality educational training to its students and provide practical solutions to complex problems facing the hemisphere.

With more than 200 scholars, the center features one of the highest concentrations of Latin American and Caribbean scholars in the country and offers a number of undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, including a bachelor’s degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies implemented in 2015.

The B.A. provides undergraduate students an interdisciplinary awareness and understanding of the complexities of the region, allowing them to think critically and creatively about major issues and themes facing the hemisphere.

LACC’s flagship publication, Hemisphere, features articles from academics around the world on contemporary topics in the Americas, with an emphasis on the social sciences. The magazine is designed to serve as a forum for new scholarship on Latin American and Caribbean issues.

In 2015, LACC hosted its 32nd Annual Journalists & Editors Workshop/Media Party Miami, a two-day event dedicated to the transformation of Latin American and Hispanic media to digital platforms, data-mining and analysis, and news reporting.

More than 200 people attended the hands-on learning and skill-sharing workshop led by U.S. and Latin American innovators.

To further increase impact, the center followed up with a four-part webinar series in Spanish for over 400 practicing journalists and journalism students featuring Latin American media experts discussing the most pressing challenges facing the industry, including the paper-to-digital transformation, social media marketing platforms, increased reach and reporting under pressures of censorship.

22

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Award-winning author, documentary filmmaker and philanthropist Kimberly Green

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

23

Cuban Research Institute

Examining History as it Unfolds

T

he year 2015 was filled with milestones for U.S.Cuba relations. On April 11, 2015, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro shook hands at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, marking the first meeting between a U.S. and Cuban head of state since the two countries severed their ties in 1961. The meeting came four months after the presidents announced their countries would restore diplomatic relations and paved the way for the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, a visit that marked the first time a U.S. secretary of state traveled to Cuba in 70 years.

With these major shifts in foreign policies and growing relations between U.S. and Cuba, the need for scholars to promote an understanding among Cuban Americans about the realities of the process of peaceful transition is critical. FIU’s Cuban Research Institute is located in one of the largest Cuban diasporas in the world and serves as the nation’s leading center for research, teaching and outreach programs on Cuban and CubanAmerican issues. CRI calls upon the knowledge and experience of more than 40 faculty members to create and disseminate knowledge about Cuba and Cuban Americans.

The Tenth Conference on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies

This year, CRI held its most important academic meeting on Cuba and its diaspora: The Tenth Conference on Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, in which over 350 participants and scholars focused on racial politics in Cuba and the Americas, as well as Afro-Cuban music and art, Cuban-American literature, anti-racist activism and contemporary civil society. The three-day discussion called upon comparisons between Cuban experiences of race and those of other Latin American and Caribbean peoples, such as Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Haitians and Brazilians, as well as their diasporic communities. The event was dedicated to Carmelo Mesa-Lago, a distinguished economist, in recognition of his numerous contributions to Cuban studies over more than five decades.

CRI has also organized hundreds of academic and cultural events since its founding in 1991, including lectures, book presentations and artistic events. In July 2015, the institute held a Summer Art Institute for 18 K-12 schoolteachers of several content areas in the humanities and social sciences. The institute, Art, Culture and Identity: Picturing Cuba through the Darlene M. and Jorge M. Perez Art Collection at FIU, provided participants the opportunity to deepen their comprehension of the significance of Cuban and Cuban-American art for the construction of national and diasporic identities, with the goal of advancing teaching in the humanities.

24

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

“At a time when the eyes of the world are on Cuba and its future, the Cuban Research Institute at FIU remains the nation’s premier center dedicated to the study of Cuban and Cuban-American issues,” said Jorge Duany, director of CRI. “Located amidst the largest Cuban diaspora in the world and at the gateway between Cuba and the U.S., CRI is internationally recognized for excellence in scholarship and public programming on the history, culture and politics of Cuba and its diaspora.”

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

25

The Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series

Global Leaders, Global Insights

T

he flagship speaker series of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs continued its track record of attracting some of the world’s leading minds to share insights into the events and forces shaping contemporary global affairs.

Generously supported by a gift from the Shepard Broad Foundation, the Ruth K. and Shepard Broad Distinguished Lecture Series takes its inspiration from the legacy of the Broads, whose lives and work transcended boundaries of states and societies.

In 2015, the Broad Series tackled some of the most pressing issues of our time – from water wars and global warming to the future of U.S. diplomacy, the rise of ethnic tensions in China and the growing instability in the Ukraine.

Yuriy Sergeyev, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, provided a fascinating look into “Ukrainian Perspectives in an Uncertain World,” particularly relations with Russia following what many considered to be an illegal annexation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea.

Another provocative discussion in 2015 came during a series of events on relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In September, a panel of FIU experts explored the long-standing conflict between the two nations over migration and citizenship.

26

Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev

Development,’’ speaking about issues facing the entire Latin American and Caribbean region, with special emphasis on Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Kirk Wagar came to FIU to discuss that country’s emergence as a global financial hub, as well as its role in the economy and geopolitics of Southeast Asia and East Asia.

The following month, Haiti’s former prime minister, Laurent Salvador Lamothe, visited FIU to discuss challenges facing his nation, including economic development, the current political landscape and international relations.

Michael Mann, an expert in global warming from Penn State University, spoke on issues related to climate change, particularly local impacts, in a talk that was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies.

A few weeks later, Leonel Fernandez, former president of the Dominican Republic, gave a talk on “Globalization, Governance and

Each year, the Broad Series strives to provide students, faculty and the community with unique and informative perspectives on global issues.

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Highlights of the 2015 series include: • Turkey in an Age of Upheaval, Lecture with Dr. Gönül Tol, Middle East Institute • The Global Crisis in Water Supply and Sanitation, Lecture by Andrew Hudson, United Nations • Beyond Fundamentalism: Islam in the 21st Century, Lecture by Reza Aslan, University of California • China’s Second Continent – How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa, Lecture by Howard W. French, Columbia University • Dreyfus Was Not Alone: Jewish Military Officers in the Modern World, Lecture by Derek Penslar, Oxford University • Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Following God in Love … and War? Lecture by Amanullah De Sondy, University of Miami • Sex and Gender in the War Story, Lecture

by Chiseche Mibenge, Lehman College • Screening of A Day’s Work, Introduction and Commentary by Dave DeSario, Executive Producer, and George Gonos, Visiting Professor of Labor Studies • A Career Like No Other: Shaping the Future of U.S. Diplomacy and Global Leadership – A Conversation with Arnold A. Chacon, U.S. Department of State

• Race, Migration and Inequality – Salient Themes in Miami History, Lecture by Paul S. George, Miami Dade College

• How has the Changing Role of Women in Israel Affected Jewish Orthodox Society?

Lecture by Tova Cohen, Bar-Ilan University

• Screening of Leviathan, Commentary by Rebecca Friedman, FIU

• Iran and the Rise of the Islamic State, Lecture by Mohsen Milani, University of South Florida

• Water Wars: Conflict over the Nile River and Prospects for Cooperation - A Conversation with Harvard professor Kenneth Marc Strzepek and FIU Experts • Old Laws, New Wars: International Law in an Era of Terrorism, Lecture by William K. Lietzau, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense • The Syrian Crisis in Focus – A Panel Discussion with FIU Faculty Experts • Humanities Publishing in the Database Age: New Opportunities for Researchers and Writers, featuring Jeff Soloway, Executive Editor, Facts on Fire The series also co-sponsored a number of presentations including: • When Should I Stop Laughing? Reflections on Jewish humor with Ruth Wisse, Harvard University • Whither Brazil? The Reelection of Dilma Rousseff and Challenges for Democracy, Dr. Timothy Power, University of Oxford • Plutopia: The Great American and Soviet Plutonium Disasters, Lecture by Kate Brown, University of Maryland

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

• What Explains the Rise of Ethnic Tensions in China? Lecture by Reza Hasmath, Oxford University • The Caucasus Region and the Clash of Civilization Idea: Myth or Reality, Lecture by Houman Sadri, University of Central Florida • LAJSA XVII: International Research Conference of the Latin American Jewish Studies Association with various scholars in representation of Jews in/from Latin America • Photo 51: Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA? Exhibition by award-winning documentary photographer Misha Friedman • 17th Annual Eric Williams Memorial Lecture: The U.S. and Cuba: How the Caribbean Paved the Way, Lecture by the Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • The Death of Parmesan: Material Culture, Media and the Past in the Russian Everyday Life, Lecture by Joy Neumeyer, UC Berkeley

27

The Morris and Anita Broad Fellowship

Supporting Innovative Research

T

he Morris and Anita Broad Fellowship is a competitive research award for junior, tenureearning faculty members, as well as advanced doctoral students in one of the departments or programs of the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs. Made possible through a generous gift from Morris and Anita Broad, the fellowship provides scholars with an opportunity to advance and develop their academic research in the early stages of their careers. This year, the Green School named 18 Broad fellows, which included seven faculty members and 11 graduate students.

Qing Lai, an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, used the funds to travel to China and research the historical trend of intermarriage between China’s largest Muslim group, the Hui, and the majority Han Chinese.

Another fellow, Melissa Baralt, an applied linguist and assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages, used the funds to attend the Task-Based Language Teaching Conference at the University of Leuven in Belgium. There, she discussed a concerning topic in the language teaching field: Black and African-American students not pursuing foreign language study as much as their white, or other minority, counterparts. “This opportunity allowed me to interact with other language teaching methodologists and teacher trainers,” she said. “Critically, it gave me the opportunity to brainstorm with other teachers on how to best address this issue when training future language teachers. I am incredibly grateful to the Broad family, to the Green School and to Dr. Frank Mora of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center for supporting me in this important research.”

Sven Kube, a doctoral student in the Department of History, used the funds to conduct archival research in the collections of Germany’s Federal Archives in Berlin. His dissertation examined the production, distribution and consumption of pop music from the United States and Western Europe in the German Democratic Republic.

Qing Lai

28

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Other research projects funded by the

Melissa Baralt

2015-16 Broad Fellowship include: • Presidential signing ceremonies • African Union peacekeeping missions • Security relationships between the United States and all five Central Asian states • 19th Century Peruvian satire • Andean female journalists of the 19th century • Globalization in Africa • Politicization and nationalism among the Arab Alawite women of Antakya

Fellow Eric Lob, assistant professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, used the funds to travel to Israel and conduct fieldwork on Israel’s developmental activities and competition with Iran in Africa.

Fiacre Bienvenu, a doctoral student in the Department of Politics and International Relations, used the funds to travel to Rwanda, where he interviewed key stakeholders from government, civil society groups and academia on the civil society and democracy relations of the country.

“Traveling to Rwanda and conducting this field research revealed the disconnect between theories on democratization and the culture that leads to it and the actual reality of the workings of it on the field,” he said. “I am grateful to Anita and Morris Broad for enabling me to conduct this research.”

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

Eric Lob 29

Program in the Study of Spirituality

The Development of the Warm Heart “In the modern education system, you pay attention to the proper development of the brain.

But you do not pay adequate attention to the development of the warm heart. So some sort of combination, the development of the good heart, the warm heart, and the development of the good brain, these must go together.”

– His Holiness, the Dalai Lama Talk given at Florida International University, April 1999

T

o fulfill this vision, FIU’s Program in the Study of Spirituality encourages the sharing of ideas and knowledge, promotes community participation in multifaith and multi-spiritual dialogue and offers formal curricula in the study of spirituality at an undergraduate level. The program provides a platform for invited practitioners and scholars of spirituality on campus and in the community.

In 2015, Dianne Collins, an award-winning bestselling author and popular media guest and speaker, along with her husband and business partner, Alan K. Collins, gifted the program with $75,000 to establish the Dianne Collins and Alan K. Collins Distinguished Speaker Series.

As part of the series, the program hosted a conversation by Alex Grey, an artist whose visual meditations on the nature of life and consciousness have reached millions through his books, exhibitions, artwork and speaking appearances – including a TED talk and Grammyaward winning album art. Also featured was his wife Allyson Grey, who has committed her painting career to a world view consisting of three root symbol systems: chaos, order and secret writing.

“We are very excited about the generous gift that Dianne and Alan K. Collins have made to the Program in the Study of Spirituality,” said Erin Weston, director of the program. “We will be using these funds to support the Distinguished Speaker Series Alan K. Collins and his wife, Dianne Collins, donated $75,000 to establish and other activities a speaker series for the Program in and events in the the Study of Spirituality. academic year.

We look forward to exploring the subject of 21st century spirituality and how it relates to a variety of far-reaching topics, including economics, science, wellness and health and the arts.”

Works by visionary artist Alex Grey on display during an event at the Frost Art Museum.

30

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Global Indigenous Forum

Welcoming Indigenous Voices

U

nder the leadership of the Green School’s Global Indigenous Forum, FIU is starting to be recognized as a welcoming institution for indigenous faculty, staff, students and peoples from local, regional and worldwide communities.

Through this program, the university has been acknowledged as a space where people of indigenous backgrounds can come and feel accepted, as well as a place where indigenous issues can be discussed openly and fairly through courses, dialogues, conferences, media, exhibits, research publications and action-oriented activities.

In 2015, Director Dennis Wiedman met with Miccosukee and Seminole leaders to welcome students and discuss ways to engage with FIU. Shortly thereafter, he was invited to present at the Miccosukee Tribe Business Committee, the major decision makers of the tribe. The desire of the community to engage with the university was immediate and, together, they engaged in events like the Native Rock Celebration concert at the Hard Rock Café, Indian Day celebrations at

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

Claudino Pèrez Torres, a member of the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon

the Miccosukee Resort, talks with Seminole Tribe representatives about student enrollment at FIU and student internships with the Seminole Ah-ThaThi-Ki Historic Preservation Office.

“The mission of the FIU Global Indigenous Forum is to bring the indigenous voice, perspective and issues to the campus, South Florida and the world,” said Wiedman. “The United Nations estimates there are over 300 million indigenous people throughout the world on all the continents.

Most live in areas that were once considered not usable to the colonizers, such as the Miccosukee and Seminole living in the Everglades. Now, they are caretakers of the most biodiverse regions of the world.

“The Global Indigenous Forum is a way to recruit and retain faculty and students of indigenous heritage, remedying the underrepresentation of indigenous peoples at FIU,’’ he continued. “We are creating a space where indigenous peoples can express their culture, identities and issues in positive ways to the public.”

31

Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy

Educating Tomorrow’s Global Security Leaders

W

ith more than 20 years’ experience in intelligence and defense, including serving as a forward observer in an elite Marine Corps unit and an analyst for U.S. Southern Command, Brian Fonseca knows more than most how critical intelligence is to national and global security.

“There is good intelligence and there is bad intelligence,’’ he said. “I wanted to do my part to ensure that good intelligence was shaping our national security decision making.’’

In his current role as director of FIU’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, Fonseca is in the perfect position to impact future leaders in national security, intelligence and public policy.

“FIU provides the physical and intellectual space to discuss, learn, organize and take action against global security challenges facing the 21st century, everything from environmental insecurity to countering transnational crime and violent extremism,” he said.

Due to its location in Miami – a global gateway – Fonseca said it is not unusual for students here to have already experienced insecurity in their home countries, often inspiring them to want to take action.

“It is not uncommon for our students to share personal stories about the violence in Central America, insurgencies in Colombia or human rights violations in other parts of the world,’’ he said.

At the Gordon Institute, students learn firsthand how they can play a role in global issues.

An intensive academic research center, the institute offers certificates in public policy, North American studies and national security studies, along with internships, study abroad opportunities, mentor seminars and annual excursions to Washington, D.C. to visit with intelligence agencies and government officials.

Students are exposed to immersive experiences with entities like the Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security and Department of State. In 2015, the institute awarded national security studies certificates to 78 undergraduate and seven graduate students.

Fonseca also sees the institute playing a larger role in global security – through policy innovation and research.

“The Gordon Institute’s research can help inform decision makers on key strategic threats to national and global security,’’ he said. “I want the institute to serve our community, our country and our global partners.’’

– Brian Fonseca Brian Fonseca, Director of the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy

32

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Academy for International Disaster Preparedness

A Professional Pathway for Disaster Responders

Disaster relief workers in Christchurch, New Zealand after a 2011 earthquake

“This program will provide new opportunities for many professionals to expand their skills in this area.”

– Ruben D. Almaguer Executive Director of the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness

I

n 2015, FIU became the first university in the state to offer a dedicated master’s degree program in disaster management, a one-year graduate professional degree program designed to prepare a new generation of emergency management and international humanitarian assistance leaders.

recognized colleges to provide hands-on teaching and innovative training. Through classroom instruction and scenario-driven field simulations, students learn the strategies and skills needed to meet the challenges of preparing for, responding to and recovering from natural and man-made disasters in the United States and around the world.

The degree is offered by the Green School’s Academy for International Disaster Preparedness, a program that establishes a professional pathway for existing disaster responders and new students interested in exploring the field of disaster management, humanitarian relief, emergency preparedness and homeland security.

“Disasters like the earthquake in Nepal remind us of the devastation that a natural event can bring to a community,” said Ruben D. Almaguer, executive director of the academy. “In South Florida, we know the importance of having well-trained first responders and emergency managers to handle such situations. This program will provide new opportunities for many professionals to expand their skills in this area.”

The academy brings together many of FIU’s internationally oriented disciplines and nationally

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

33

Center for Labor Research and Studies

G Navigating the Complexities of the 21st Century Workforce

iven the globalized and diverse nature of today’s workforce, the mission of FIU’s Center for Labor Research and Studies to disseminate and create knowledge that empowers all workers is more important than ever. The center offers several courses in workplace diversity, conflict resolution and consensus building, as well as labor relations and employment law to ensure that students are competent to navigate the complexities and challenges of the 21st century workplace. Through its research arm, the Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy (RISEP), the center engages with local organizations to formulate policies and ordinances that shape local communities. The evolving nature of work continues to define the center’s role as a social change agent for justice and equality.

In 2015, Judith Bernier was appointed as the center’s director. She holds a doctorate in adult education and human resource development from FIU and serves on various committees within the university. Her research and publications examine issues like career mobility, cultural competency, gender, race, immigration and performance improvement. Under her directorship, the center and RISEP published two dynamic reports about work and labor in Florida.

The first report, The State of Working Florida, presented annual data around the issue of inequality in Florida and its many dimensions. The report highlights the wage and income disparities between those at the top and bottom of the earnings spectrum and explains some of the consequences of the growing gap.

“My vision for the center is to provide a more collaborative space where knowledge is created and shared to improve the lives of workers and our community and to inform policy decisions.”

– Judith Bernier, Director Center for Labor Research and Studies

34

The second report, Estimating the Potential Economic Effects of a Broward County Living Wage Ordinance Expansion at Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, analyzed the economic effects of expanding the county’s living wage ordinance to cover airport tenant service contracts. The report estimates the living wage policy’s impact, direct and indirect, on the airport’s workers and businesses, as well as the airport labor market.

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Institute for Public Management and Community Service

Strengthening Public Service Around the World

A Allan Rosenbaum, director of the Institute for Public Management, speaks at the 21st Annual Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities, hosted at FIU in 2015.

chieving progress in institutional reform – locally and globally – does not happen overnight.

That’s why FIU’s Institute for Public Management and Community Service trains hundreds of public servants each year to be more effective, transparent and responsive in their work.

The program promotes the idea that engaging the international community strengthens the American administrative experience and vice versa. The institute’s government modernization projects range from executive-legislative relations and legislative development, to decentralization policy, civil service reform and the enhancement of citizen participation.

In 2015, the institute, in collaboration with MiamiDade County, the State of Florida and the World Bank, welcomed more than 550 mayors, council people and senior government officials from Latin

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

America and the Caribbean for the 21st Annual Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities, ranging from countries like Brazil and Colombia to Ecuador, Peru and Guyana.

With the theme of strengthening local governments during times of crisis and conflicts, nearly 50 panelists presented case studies on a variety of issues important to their regions,

including water supply and management, energy and climate change, tax collection and access to technology and telecommunications.

The conference, which has been taking place annually since 1996, seeks to promote democratic local governance throughout the Western Hemisphere by providing a forum for participants to discuss common goals, experiences, information and best practices.

“Miami’s geographic location makes us the gateway to the Americas,” said Allan Rosenbaum, director of the institute. “Many of the issues that we talked about when the conference was in its beginning years, we still talk about today. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a decline in the willingness of national governments in the region to work collaboratively in the past decade.

That’s why it’s a great thing this event brings local authorities together on a regular and systematic basis. Each year, more progress is made.”

35

The Metropolitan Center

Joining Forces on Community Development

M

ore than ever, affordable housing has become a significant concern in South Florida. The rising costs of living and housing, coupled with sluggish wage growth across Miami, are making home ownership unattainable for most low- and middle-income residents.

In 2015, FIU’s Metropolitan Center joined forces with the University of Miami to tackle the issue.

The Metropolitan Center is the leading urban think tank in Florida and an applied research unit in the Green School. Since 1997, the Center has

36

accumulated an impressive track record of local, regional and statewide public opinion, as well as formed the South Florida Housing Studies Consortium – an affordable housing task force collaboration between the center and UM’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement.

The consortium furthered research and developed data-driven strategies to promote affordable housing for low and moderate-income residents and young professionals who have been forced to move away from expensive employment centers. “[This is] a new forum for cutting-edge research and technical assistance that promotes the development of local policies and programs that address housing issues and exemplify holistic community development principles,” said Ned Murray, associate director of the Metropolitan Center.

“Housing affordability is a critical element of an economically and socially vibrant urban community and, by joining forces, we [are] better able to address our community’s needs.”

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Spotlight on Scholars MOHAMAD ALKADRY Department of Public Administration Mohamad Alkadry has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, reports and papers in his field but says his greatest joy is seeing students go on to rewarding careers in public service.

“My publications are dwarfed by making a difference in one person’s life,’’ he said. “Imagine what making a difference in the lives of thousands of students means.’’

As director of FIU’s Master of Public Administration Program, Alkadry helps students build their skills and advance in public service careers.

His applied and scholarly research on gender and social equity has made him one of the leading experts in enhancing opportunities for minorities and women in the public sector. He is currently leading an effort to bring educators from around the world together to collaborate on improvements to public service education.

“On a weekly basis, I get emails from graduates who inform me of a promotion or a new program they are managing,’’ he said. “There is no reward in the world that is more significant than that.”

MARK PADILLA Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies Mark Padilla, a medical anthropologist and associate professor in FIU’s Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies, has spent more than a decade researching the men who migrate to tourist areas in the Dominican Republic looking for work. He has found that many of those men are at risk for acquiring HIV due to social isolation, the availability of drugs and the opportunity to make more money through sex work.

To examine the far-reaching implications of this phenomenon, Padilla has embarked on a new, multiyear study, “Migration, Tourism, and the HIV/Drug-Use Syndemic in the Dominican Republic,” which aims to identify and address the different factors that are colliding and contributing to a major regional health crisis. He said the human dimension of his work – the struggles of the people he meets - reminds him of its importance. Working with students and seeing their dedication and passion inspires him.

“One great privilege I’ve had is to help open doors for these talented scholars,’’ he said.

RYAN C. MELDRUM Department of Criminal Justice Ryan Meldrum has devoted his career to examining self-control from a life-course perspective, trying to find out what causes it, how it develops over time, how it operates with other factors to explain behavior and what other consequences to which it can lead.

An assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, Meldrum said he hopes the knowledge gained from his research can be used to effect real world change, influencing policy to assist people with early predispositions towards low self-control, and families and communities at a disadvantage.

His body of work has culminated in a book, Self-Control and Crime Over the Life Course, that answers critical questions about self-control and its importance for understanding criminal and antisocial behavior.

“I am proud of having been able to publish research with some of the finest minds in the field of criminology,’’ said Meldrum, named an FIU Top Scholar. “These relationships have granted me access to unique data that I have been able to use to advance understanding of the factors associated with delinquent and criminal behavior during adolescence and young adulthood.”

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

37

Spotlight on Scholars

HAKAN YILMAZKUDAY Department of Economics Hakan Yilmazkuday is a strong believer in the study of real-world economics – not just academic theory.

That’s why he created an undergraduate seminar where students study, write about and present on the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Named an FIU Top Scholar, Yilmazkuday has published more than 30 articles on international economics, macroeconomics and regional economics. He has been the executive secretary of the International Economics and Finance Society; a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund; a consultant to the World Bank; a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; and a contributing partner at the Centers for International Price Research at Vanderbilt University. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation.

“It is really amazing to see how my students connect theoretical information with such recent economic and financial developments from a policy-making perspective,’’ he said.

APRIL MERLEAUX Department of History Exploring how the humanities can play a role in the challenge of sea level rise in South Florida may not seem a likely topic for a history professor to study. But for environmental historian April Merleaux it is a topic in need of urgent action.

Merleaux, an FIU Top Scholar, is principal investigator and project director for a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded project, “Ecohumanities for Cities in Crisis.” The centerpiece of the project is “Fragile Habitat – Conversations for Miami’s Future,’’ a series of public events featuring literary and religious studies experts, historians, philosophers, geographers and other scholars sharing their perspectives on themes related to sea level rise and climate change.

The project is the only Florida recipient of an NEH Humanities in the Public Square grant.

“We need more than science and policy right now,” said Merleaux. “With this grant, FIU will be able to share another view of some of today’s most pressing issues. We look forward to engaging our community in these important conversations as we imagine our future in South Florida.”

MARIA GOMEZ Department of Modern Languages Watching her students become inspired, overcome obstacles and go on to be great scholars or educators themselves is one of Maria Gomez’s greatest joys. As graduate program director for the Department of Modern Languages, she celebrates each graduate’s achievements. She also learns from their perseverance.

One of her students was diagnosed with terminal cancer while working to complete her master’s degree.

In spite of her illness, she continued working on her final paper on Spanish poet Federico García Lorca while undergoing chemotherapy.

“She was a poet herself and reading and writing poetry helped her to disconnect from chemotherapy and all the suffering that cancer brought,’’ said Gomez, who received a Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2005. “She was lively, tenacious, curious, and generous. I will always keep her very close to my heart.

“She passed away before finishing her paper, but the fact that she tried so hard was a lesson in perseverance that I will never forget.”

38

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Spotlight on Scholars

SUSANNE ZWINGEL Department of Politics and International Relations Susanne Zwingel dedicates much of her research to how gender equality norms change from one context to another.

As an associate professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations, one of her goals is to help her students become more sensitive to the ways in which cultural, social, political and financial factors impact such norms.

“It makes me proud when my teaching helps them understand that things are more complicated,’’ said Zwingel, whose research also focuses on human rights, women’s activism and global governance.

“Gender equality norms are nowhere in the world fully implemented.’’

The author of more than 20 journal articles, Zwingel said she was particularly pleased when one of her students realized that a reading she had assigned in her human rights class was her own.

“I guess it was surprising to her that an ordinary professor, standing in front of her in the classroom, could also have their thoughts printed and published.’’

IQBAL AKHTAR Department of Religious Studies With a list of awards and accolades that includes a Fulbright Fellowship, a David L. Boren Fellowship and an Armed Forces Civilian Service Award, Iqbal Akhtar says he is most proud of the students he has taught and their “ability to understand and engage with the complexity of the Islamic world.’’

A dual-appointed professor in the Department of Religious Studies and the Department of Politics and International Relations, Akhtar specializes in the study of Islam, including Islamic literature, political thought and mysticism. He also teaches on international relations in South Asia and development of international relations thought.

Akhtar is founder and research director of the Western Indian Ocean Studies Initiative in the Department of Religious Studies, an international collaboration of scholars that promotes research into the religious identities of the region. The goal is to preserve texts and oral traditions, as well as publish original research and translations. In 2015, the initiative received funding to digitize the Zanzibar National Archives and make them accessible to scholars around the world.

“At the Green School, we are fortunate to have an incredible roster of Worlds Ahead faculty who are top scholars in their fields and who are committed to an interdisciplinary approach to the study of global issues.’’

– John F. Stack, Jr. Founding Dean, Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

Creating a Just, Peaceful and Prosperous World

39

Celebrating the Green School’s 2015 Worlds Ahead Graduates REBECCA NICOLE GARCIA - Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology and Religious Studies A long-time desire to become an archaeologist propelled Rebecca Garcia to major in anthropology at FIU. After taking a course in “Religions of Classical Mythology” she decided to pursue a second degree in religious studies. Rebecca became proficient in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. For three years, she worked in the Mt. Zion Archaeological Dig in Jerusalem, Israel. Rebecca graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

GERI “Gigi” ROSS - Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies and English Literature Being raised in an isolated environment, amidst poverty and family difficulties, Gigi Ross might not seem the likeliest candidate for a degree in Asian studies. A visit to the tiny city of Gero, Japan solidified her passion for the country. She visited Japan two more times, including a semester at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. Gigi was the first recipient of the Omar K. Carrion Scholarship for Excellence in Asian Studies at FIU, as well as first place winner of the 2015 Florida Statewide Japanese Speech Contest, for which the Japanese government awarded her an all-expense paid trip to Wakayama Prefecture, Florida’s sister state in Japan.

LISA HOWE - Ph.D. in History Lisa Howe was born in Hialeah to a single mother, who, with the help of her of aunts and grandmother, raised her to be determined and resilient. Lisa attended Miami Dade College and became a court reporter, a job she held for the next 15 years. At the age of 23, Lisa suffered a setback when she was diagnosed with lupus. Her kidneys failed and she was put on dialysis. Lisa’s aunt Susie donated a kidney, giving Lisa a new chance at life. After 8 years, Lisa achieved her life-long dream of earning her Ph.D. in history.

MAMYRAH PROSPER - Ph.D. in Global and Sociocultural Studies Mamyrah Prosper immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti at age 15. Following a family tradition of activism for social justice – her father was a human and labor rights activist – she champions causes including women’s rights and affordable housing. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the Haitian Platform for Advocacy for an Alternative Development, a social justice movement in Haiti. During her time at FIU, she helped organize two conferences on Afro-Latino social movements and feminist reimaginings of the nation.

NICOLAS WULFF - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Minor in Economics Nicolas Wulff and his twin brother, Esteban, were born in Colombia. At age five they moved to the U.S. to join their mother, who had left Colombia because of economic hardship. At FIU, the Wulff brothers worked to raise awareness about the challenges undocumented students face. They organized clinics to help students determine if they were eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). They participated in discussions with White House officials and state legislators. Their hard work paid off – the Florida Legislature passed a law allowing DACA students to pay in-state tuition.

LUCIA SILVA - Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology Lucia emigrated from Nicaragua to Miami with her parents in 1999 as a high school freshman. Not knowing any English, she took English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes and practiced with schoolmates. Four years later, she graduated from Felix Varela High School with a 4.0 GPA. She worked and saved money for school, earning an associate degree in anthropology at Miami Dade College and a scholarship to FIU. Wanting to learn more than what she read in books, Lucia traveled to Europe, Latin America and throughout the U.S. to fulfill her goal of becoming a global citizen.

KENYA ADEOLA - Bachelor of Arts in Spanish By the time she was 18 years old, Kenya Adeola had lived in nine different foster homes and attended five different high schools. Despite the constant disruption, Kenya knew she wanted to get an education and leave chaos behind. She enrolled at FIU and immediately became involved in campus life, serving as a peer advisor and a member of the Homecoming Committee. Kenya advocated for former foster care students and was a founding member of HEROES, (Helping Everyone Reach Opportunity, Empowerment and Success), a student organization that supports homeless and foster youth.

40

Florida International University | Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

The Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs

by the numbers

123 Countries of origin represented by our student body

44

22

Global partnerships with universities around the world

International centers, institutes, programs and initiatives

8 Departments 35 certificate programs 38 Degree Programs 482 Events held in 2015

195 250 Faculty

Affiliated Faculty

STUDENTS

7,261 Students

(in thousands)

31% of

students are international

77

Languages spoken

The Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs equips our students to think about the world in unique ways, generating policy-relevant dialogue and research on critical global issues, including the following strategic themes: • Migration, Diasporas & Transient Communities

• Human Rights & Democratization

• Poverty & Global Inequalities

• Security, Foreign Policy & Governance

• Economic Development, Sustainability & Environment

• Nationalism, Identity & Language

• Religion, Society & Interfaith Engagement

• Historical Inquiry, Memory & Reconciliation